Forgotten Games: MediEvil

It’s that time again folks. It’s time where I grab one of those games from our past, dissect it, figuratively, and make you all feel nostalgic inside. This weeks forgotten game is MediEvil, a truly lost gem. MediEvil was a great game back in the days of the PlayStation 1 and, unfortunately, it has fallen out of all our mind’s in recent years.

The story of MediEvil involved an evil sorcerer called Zarok who was plotting to take over the kingdom of Gallowmere with his undead army. The kingdom of Gallowmere fought back. It is told in the legends that Sir Daniel Fortesque, King Gallowmere’s champion, had led the attack against Zarok and managed to kill him before succumbing to his own mortal wounds. However, Sir Daniel actually died by the very first arrow fired in the war. The King then covered it all up and declared sir Daniel the “Hero of Gallowmere” thus forcing Zarok into hiding. 100 years later, Zarok re-emerges and casts a spell to raise his undead army, unknowingly he also raises Sir Daniel. Sir Daniel is now a skeletal corpse and has a missing eye due to the battle of Gallowmere. Sir Daniel then uses this opportunity to take down Zarok and finally earn his place in the hall of heroes. The gameplay was so innovative and while some may feel the game wasn’t unique enough, it was fantastic playing a game that paid homage, and took inspiration, from so many other titles. A funny fact actually, the working title they used for MediEvil while it was under development was Dead Man Dan.

The gameplay was super fun, albeit being a little unrefined for a full release game. The gameplay involved Sir Daniel progressing through levels by completing various objectives. Daniel is able to use all manor of weapons ranging from swords and shields to crossbows. Daniel can also use a club weapon to reach places previously unavailable for him to reach. Daniel had one life bar while playing through the game, which of course dropped when attacked or falling from a height. The game would end if Daniel’s life bar fell to zero, luckily, the player can collect life bottles which replenish the bar when it falls to zero. The gameplay did have a terribly cumbersome camera and the controls were a bit wonky, but you have to get through that to experience what is quite frankly, a hilarious game.

The game received so much positive feedback, Sony commissioned SCE Cambridge Studio, the developers of the first game, to make a sequel. The sequel was titled MediEvil 2 and once again it put Sir Daniel Fortesque into the protagonist’s seat. It was set during the 1800’s when a sorcerer called Lord Palethorn discovers Zaroks spellbook and raises the dead once again by using it. However, this time the pages from the spellbook scatter across London and gives Palethorn a demon-like appearance. Lord Palethorn casts the spell once again and this time awakens Daniel who is recruited by Hamilton Kift and his ghostly sidekick, Winston. They then set out to recover the missing pages and put a stop to Lord Palethorn’s plans. Then in 2005 MediEvil: Resurrection was released on the PlayStation portable, which served as a re-imagining of the original game and feature voice acting talent. Tom Baker (Doctor Who) provided his voice as the narrator and the Grim Reaper. Sir Daniel Fortesque also appeared as a playable character in Sony’s fighting game, PlayStation All-Stars.

MediEvil was truly one of those games that stands out, especially me, as one of the defining games for the PlayStation 1 era. The game had incredible Halloween style visuals which reminded me a lot of Tim Burton’sThe Nightmare Before Christmas. The game did also pay some great homages to Capcoms title Ghosts & Goblins. This is one of those games that I seriously recommend to people if they get a chance. It is available currently on PSN as well as MediEvil: Resurrection.

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About The Author

Games, Anime and Movies! There is literally nothing that doesn't interest me. I probably watch too much anime and want to live in a fantasy world. I am that guy who plays all the those Japanese games nobody else plays. I generally review different anime shows and said Japanese games for the site as well as doing a few interviews with talented voice actors and other people of interest.

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RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!